Brunswick US Head Mike Buckley Departs For Facebook Comms Role

SAN FRANCISCO — Michael Buckley, US managing partner for Brunswick Group, will be joining Facebook as VP of business communications in March.

Buckley will helm Facebook’s international, monetization, corporate, consumer and policy communications and will report to Elliot Schrage, who is VP of communications and public policy. Through Brunswick, Buckley has worked with Facebook on a number of communications issues, including its IPO last year.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the news.

"Many on our team have known and worked with Mike for years — both at Facebook and in previous jobs,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “He is passionate about communications and brings a wealth of experience to Facebook."

Buckley has been with Brunswick since March 2001 and was recently named US managing partner in May 2012. In addition to Facebook, his client list includes AT&T, Chevron and Cisco. According to the firm’s website, Buckley has worked on more than $40 billion in IPOs and over $600 billion in M&A assignments, as well as managed several dozen crisis and litigation assignments, including multiple US and European regulatory investigations.

"The opportunity to work for a company that is literally changing the way the world connects is a remarkable one, and as a communicator I'm particularly drawn to the mission of making the world more open and connected,” Buckley said in a statement. “While leaving a rapidly growing and incredibly talented firm like Brunswick is never easy, I'm ecstatic that I will become a client."